RELG 263 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Analects, Filial Piety, Confucius
23 Aug 2016
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Some may not called confucianism a religion, but throughout its history it speaks of a belief in heaven and a supernatural realm, as well as the quest for sagehood. Written all at different times and in different styles, with different perspectives on different subjects. Originally kong qiu and later became known as kongzi or kong fuzi. He wasn"t coming up with anything new, just restoring ancient values and traditions. Teachings come from the analects of confucius: conversations between confucius and his disciples, no clear organizational structure, internally contradicting, suggesting it"s a later compilation, nonetheless, conceptually coherent. Two main concepts: ritual (li) originally a religious rite or ceremony, but later meant formal behavior of any kind, benevolence (ren) humanity of human heartedness, genuine love and compassion for others. Foundation of other virtues life righteousness and loyalty: these two are meant to take place in the context of social relationships within the natural hierarchy of the ve relationships .
